With over 14,000 attendees and a million online viewers, this was most definitely the biggest UK Salesforce.com event yet, and has taken the record for being the largest software event in the UK.
Lee and Theresa, from Resource On Demand have been attending this annual event since the early days, when it affectionately went by the name cloudforce. They have watched the event grow in size and popularity over the years, as Salesforce.com has realised revenue of $1.51billion this financial year and has around 50,000 customers across the globe. The accolades that Salesforce.com have won for being the world’s most innovative company, are certainly well founded and was in evidence throughout the event, that took place on the 21st May 2015.
The keynote speech by Keith Block, Vice Chairman & President of Salesforce.com,inc was packed out as he talked about how Salesforce.com will be driving growth throughout the UK and Ireland and that we can expect to see 50,000 new jobs created by 2018. However, can we forgive him for making reference to ‘the mushy pea’ and ‘the jellied eel’, true British staples?
Well possibly, especially since he advised us that the Salesforce Foundation, has given back over 9,000 service hours, $85 million in grants and that over 25,000 not-for-profits are using their technology. Plus, the lasting legacy is that other companies, such as Google are now using their 1-1-1 model.
When the exhibition doors, or should we say rope was eventually opened to attendees, the temperature and volume rose dramatically as 14,000 people crammed in to see what was on offer from Partners and rushed to find their seats at the Administrator and Developer Zones. The pub-quiz proved popular as four administrators pitted their wits to take the first prize. And Apttus were offering visitors the opportunity to make a free t-shirt in their lounge area.
The developer zone, was constantly jam-packed as the technically gifted wanted to see first hand about Lightning quick starts and mini hacks and the queue at the technical library at one point was in danger of cutting the room in half.
The breakout sessions were clearly on message as Salesforce Lightning and the ability to build seamless mobile apps quickly seemed to be a popular theme, along with business and predictive analytics. And there appeared to be even more sessions dedicated to administrators, that has been seen in previous years.
And finally, there was Florence, the 14-year-old poodle/shih-tzu, whose shocking treatment and neglect led to the loss of her two front paws, was showered with affection throughout the event by well wishers keen to show their support for the RSPCA.
However, once Pimms o’clock was reached, the volume, if possible seemed to turn up a notch as ties were loosened and sales pitches turned less formal. It was clearly time to network and for Partners to scope out the competition in the room. Just reward, for a demanding event!
For more information on salesforce.com jobs, contact our team now on rod@resourceondemand.com.
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